Sheet marking and measuring apparatus



y 1953 A. H. BATES, JR., ETAL 2,639,508

SHEET MARKING AND MEASURING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 11, 1950 CHARLES F. MULL/IYAX W/JTAI? IV. MACOMSO/V ATTORNEY?)- Patentecl May 26, 1953 SHEET MARKING AND MEASURING APPARATUS Arthur H. Bates, Jr., Dalton, Ga., and Ned Bobo, Charles F. Mullinax, and Wistar W. Macomson, Lyman, S. 0., assignors to Pacific Mills, a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 11, 1950, Serial No. 178,861

' 2 Claims. (01. 33-129) This invention relates to apparatus for marking a web of sheeting material, which is to be torn into sheets of fixed length, so as to minimize discrepancies in the length of the torn sheets and thus produce sheets of a substantially uniform length.

In tearing sheets to a desired length, such as, for example, 99 inches or 108 inches, it has been common practice to draw the sheeting web, which has previously been folded twice to provide a double doubled construction, across a measuring table which has a zero or initial measuring point, and a cutting knife positioned at a distance therefrom on the table equal to the length of the sheet desired. The web is measured between these two points and then cut with a knife, or, in the alternative, the edge of the web is nicked with a knife and the sheet torn from the web by hand. In measuring the sheet between the two points on this table, discrepancies in the length occur because of the varying tension applied by different operators to the sheet when drawing or stretching it between the two points, and even with the same operator at different times. Thus it is common to encounter errors of plus or minus one inch in the length of the diiferent sheets and the cumulative effect of these errors in a hundred or more sheets is considerable, both in variations in length as well as in cost of the material.

Another similar system for measuring the sheets prior to tearing comprises drawing the above-mentioned double doubled sheeting web across the table, training the leading edge of this web around a doubling bar located near one end of the table and then back to the initial or zero measuring point. At this point, a knifeblade is commonly mounted for cutting a nick in the edge of the sheet just prior to tearing. Here again, the same discrepancies in length of the many sheets torn will occur because of variations in the tension or pull exerted by the operator on the sheeting web as he pulls it around the doubling bar and back to the zero or cuttin point. Variations in this operation of as much as one-half to one inch in different sheets will commonly occur.

To avoid the above-described problem of variations in length of sheets, the present invention provides a system for marking the sheeting web along one edge at fairly closely-spaced intervals, such as, for example, a quarter of a yard, i. e., nine inches, apart. With these markings on the edge of the sheet plainly in view, the operator 2 can then place the-nearest mark exactly under the knife edge to start the tear of the sheet and thereby substantially eliminate the variations in length of the torn sheet, The markings used in this manner may be applied at any convenient intervals and nine inch spacings therebetween have been found satisfactory because the mark-. ings with these spacings occur sufliciently frequently to be plainly visible to the operator, and yet are sufficiently far apart so that there is no doubt about which one of the marks should be used as the starting point for tearing the sheets.

In addition to the advantages above described of the marking system of this invention, the particular marking device which has been developed for this purpose also oifers a definite practical advantage. This marking device is characterized by'a rotatable marking drum and by bosses or projecting tips arranged thereon at the nine inch intervals. The construction and oper-' ation of the marking drum is such that when the cloth is pulled or otherwise advanced between this marking drum and a pressure roll, the bosses or tips on the drum will indent or impress correspondingly shaped marks on the edge of the sheet. In one illustrative, non-limiting example, the marking roll tips are in the shape of somewhat semi-cylindrical bosses and make small circular indentations in the sheet every nine inches along the edge thereof. These small cir-' cular marks or indentations offer an especial advantage in that they do not require the use of any ink and therefore do not make any permanent mark on the sheet. Nevertheless, the mechanical indentations provided on the cloth in this manner will last sufficiently long for the operator to measure accurately the sheet lengths and tear the sheets accordingly. In fact, the markings will usually last for some hours beyond the sheet tearing operation, but in the finishing operations on the sheets these marks fade out or are otherwise smoothed out so that they do not appear in the finished sheet.

This marking roll device may be used in the conventional sheet tearing systems or procedures as described above, and may likewise be used as a part of the apparatus in the improved sheet measuring and tearing system disclosed and claimed in our application Serial No. 178,862, filed August 11, 1950, which is directed to minimizing wastage in the torn sheets.

Further details characteristic of the marking apparatus and associatedequipment of the present invention are given in the following descrip- & tion taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a sheet marking device embodying the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the work area on a sheet marking and tearing table.

Referring now in detail to the drawings and in particular at first to Fig. l, as web 6 of sheetingmaterial is Withdrawn from a supply roll (not shown) by means of a pair of nip rollers as at 3 and is fed into scray Ill, it is drawn between a marking drum I2 and an associated pressure roll M Marking drum 12, carried on shaft- IS, and pressure roll M are disposed so that the moving web 6 produces rotation as it is drawn therebetween.

Marking tips !8 project from the peripheral surface of marking drum l2 at appropriate inter-'- vals so that they impress a characteristic identifiable mark on web 6. as it is drawn around marking drum l2. We have found that a marking tip having an axial recess formed in its projecting end will, without the use of stains, impress upon moving web 6, annular mark which is visible for a sufiicient time to permit its use in determining the point for severing the web to produce different lengths of material. These proiecting' tips I8 are so formed that they will impress a visible mark on the web by contact therewith, but will not cut the fabric. Marking tips l8 are preferably adjustable with respect to the periphery of marking drum l2, so that the optimum amount or pressure can be applied by tips 18 to web 6.

In the system for marking and tearing standard sizesheet's from a web, it is desirable that the marking tips I 8 be spaced around the periphery of marking drum H. at intervals of 9 inches, since nine is the greatest common factor of the numbers 90, 99 and 108', which are the lengths of the most used standard sheets. Then, regardless of which size sheet is to be severed, its length will be an even multiple of the 9 inch intervals. Consequently, to measure accurately and uniformly standard length sheets requires only a determination of the particular mark at which the web 6 should be severed. By using this method and severing the web 5 at the appropriate mark, variations in the lengths of sheets can be maintained at an extremely low value.

The previously-described marking drum I2 is especially adapted to facilitate the rapid and accurate measurement of standard lengths by the method wherein the web 6 is drawn across a table 20 (see Fig. 2), and is trained. around a doubling bar 22 and the leading edge is drawn back to a cutting knife M, which also serves as a reference point. For the three standard sheet sizes previously mentioned, the doubling bar is adjustable tothree positions with regard to reference point 24, each position being disposed from reference point 24 a distance equal to one-half the corresponding sheet length. The marks applied to the web as previously described eliminate the inevitable variations in sheet lengths, that result from applying varying tensions to the web 6 in measuring it by doubling bar 22 and reference point 24. By the method of this invention, when web 6 is trained around doubling bar 22 and its leading edge is lined up with reference point 24, the characteristic mark will be sufiiciently close to reference point 24 that there is no question as to which mark to use in severing it. This relieves the operator of accurately lining up the edges of web 6 and attempting to apply a uniform tension thereto with each measurement. As a result, the tearing operation is considerably facilitated.

A separating bar 26 is disposed on table 20 ad jacent cutting knife 24 in such a way that the center fold of the double-doubled web. 6 may be disposed above bar 26 and the two selvage edges below, which enables the operator to grasp the top fold only and draw it across knife 2 to start the tear across web 6.

The method and means of the present invention are particularly adapted for use in connection with a tearing system which requires uniform and. accurate measurement of each sheet severed. In fact, the sheets can be so accurately measured and severed that the cumulative error for several hundred yards of material. will be negligible. In fact. in cutting by the marks applied in accordance with the present invention, any errors of measurement will generally cancel. Thus, the system of severing standard sheets from a continuous web may be advantageously employedin a system wherein the operability depends upon accurate synchronization of the marking and tearing operation with accurate measurement of the continuous web, such as that disclosed and claimed in our previously-mentioned copendlng application.

'While the structure described in the foregoing disclosure is believed to be the preferred form of the apparatus, obvious modifications may be made in the specific arrangement shown without departing from the scope of the invention as defined oy the following claims.

W e claim:

1. In a system for tearing sheets of standard length from a web of sheeting material wherein said web is drawn across a table for the successive tearing of sheets therefrom, a marking wheel mounted for rotation, a pressure roll rotatably disposed in opposed relation to said marking wheel to form a nip therewith whereby travel of said web of sheeting material through said nip as said web is advanced to said table results in rotation of said marking wheel, marking tips projecting radially from the periphery of said marking wheel at regular spacings equal to the greatest common factor of the standard sheet lengths to be torn from said web of sheeting material whereby said web of sheeting material is embossed with a non-staining removable mark at regular intervals corresponding to the spacing of said marking tips, and a doubling bar adjustabl'y mounted to be set for gauging the standard length of sheet to be torn in relation to a reference point at which the closest mark embossed in said Web of sheeting material may be identified for tearing of the standard length of sheet desired.

2. In a system for tearing sheets of standard length from the web of sheeting material wherein said web is drawn across a table for the successive tearing of sheets therefrom, a marking wheel mounted for rotation, a pressure roll rotatably disposed in opposed relation to said marking wheel to form a nip therewith whereby travel of said web of sheeting material through said nip as said web is advanced to said table results in rotation of said marking wheel, marking tips pro ecting radially from the periphery of said markmg wheel at regular spacings equal to the greatest common factor of the standard sheet lengths to be torn from said web of sheeting material where-'- by said of sheeting material is embossed with a non-staining removable mark at regular intervals corresponding to the spacing of said marking 5 tips, and means for gauging the standard length of sheet to be torn in relation to a reference point at which the closest mark embossed in said web of sheeting material may be identified for tear- Number mg of the standard length of sheet desned. 5 09,647 ARTHUR H. BATES JR. 584,587 2,091,522 NED 130130. 2 4O 56 CHARLES F. MULLINAX. ,1 ,1

WIS'IAR W. MACOMSON. 10 ,250,567

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Brady Nov. 5, 1878 Hamann June 15, 1897 Perry Aug, 31, 1937 Harschnek Dec. 13, 1938 Bates July 29, 1941 

